Mylingo offers real-time Spanish translation in movie theaters
A new app called Mylingo lets Spanish-speaking moviegoers listen to audio dubs in real time, using their own smartphone and headphones. According to the developer, users can download the studio-recorded Spanish tracks directly to their device, where they’ll be able to sync them perfectly with the action from the screen. The application, which is only available for iOS right now, uses the microphone on your phone to capture the data once the movie starts, and then deletes the audio file for good after it’s over.
Naturally, in order to be able to do that, Mylingo had to partner with major studios and movie theaters, such as Disney, Paramount, Sony, Regal Entertainment Group and Cinemark Theaters. As a result, the app will work with many of the films scheduled to debut this holiday season, including Moana, Office Christmas Party, Passengers and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
In a press release, Mylingo Co-founder and CEO Olenka Polak said hispanic audiences spent nearly $2.5 billion at the box office in 2015, so he knows how important this tool will be for many people in the US. I, for one, know someone like my mom is one of them, since she doesn’t speak English fluently but often takes my younger sister to the theater. At least now she’ll have a better idea of what the characters on the screen are talking about.
Source: Mylingo
VSCO adds full RAW photo support to its iPhone app
VSCO, smartphone photographers’ image tweaking app of choice, is letting iOS users tap into all the original image data captured on iPhone 6’s and up. Alongside a host of new community features, it’s offering full RAW image support on capture, importing and editing. This means photo editors will be able to access a wider range of colors and tones that are sometimes lost due to compression on typical JPEG photos. RAW support will even work on your must-share DSLR images too.
The update is also the culmination of the VSCO team’s efforts to better showcase its community and editorial team content. This includes a machine-learning engine that surfaces related images of what it spots in images. There’s also a new search and a discovery section specifically for notable community posts.
VSCO has introduced a new (invite-only, subscription-based) membership at an early-access price of $20 per year. This will give users monthly updates and early access to filter presets, particularly VSCO’s new Film X interactive presets. These tap into SENS, its new imaging engine, and attempt to offer, according to VSCO CEO and founder Joel Flory: “a physical model of film and not just a static preset.” New presets currently include the Fuji Pro 400H, and Kodak Portra 160 and 400. According to the team, they’ve tried to create a physical mode of film — and that also includes real-time shaders that you can tweak during live capture.
If you’re willing to subscribe, you’ll net the entire preset library (over 100 of those), which total around $200 if purchased through the app. RAW support, at least, comes for free in the new update available now. Oh and for that invite-only membership? Add your name to the waitlist here, and get ready to feel exclusive.
T-Mobile Digits brings calls and texts to all your devices
T-Mobile is doing its Uncarrier thing again. As the carrier works on bringing its LTE network to US forces and older cars, it’s also bringing the latest technology to its existing customers. The company’s new Digits program lets you add multiple numbers to your phone, and then use them across all your devices. Starting today, postpaid customers can sign up to try out a beta version of the service, which the company says will launch commercially next year. Those who join the trial will need to have at least Android 5.0 or iOS 9 installed on their phones, and/or Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome on their Macs or PCs.
After you register for the beta, T-Mobile’s support team will help you get started. When you sign in with your phone number, you’ll find your call history, messages and voicemail waiting for you on whichever device you logged on with. The company says the service will work on “virtually any Internet-connected device,” including feature phones, tablets, computers and wearables.
Since you’ll be using the same number across your various gadgets, you won’t have to tell all your friends to add your new number to their address books. T-Mobile also says you can put multiple numbers on one device and easily switch back and forth between them. What’s interesting here is that you can also use this service on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint devices. You’ll just have to download the Digits app, and your calls will be made through your own carrier’s network.
When you get a call on Digits on a non-cellular device, the connection will be made over the Internet, and your conversation will be prioritized over other data transmissions. This ensures that calls “are more reliable with crystal clear HD voice quality and full mobility,” said the company. It’s not yet clear if there’s a way to prevent all your devices from ringing together at once when you get an incoming call, which would be annoying.
Digits appears to be a pretty sweet way to enable more convenient communication with your phone number. Although other services, such as Apple’s iMessage and Google’s Hangouts, already let you use your phone number to send text messages from desktops, T-Mobile’s solution seems to encompass even more platforms. It could let me send SMS messages to my friends from the comfort of my laptop, regardless of their operating systems. The ability to add multiple numbers to my account also makes sense for those who have a separate line for work, removing the need to carry several phones around.
The beta trial will be free, but official pricing for the service is still unknown, although T-Mobile COO Mike Sievert said that you can “expect us to be really disruptive here.” He clarified that it won’t be treated the same as adding a line to your account, and that the company is “going to take a completely different approach that will really delight people.”
Chris Velazco contributed reporting to this article.
Source: T-Mobile
New in our buyer’s guide: the Pixel and Pixel XL, and more!
Nope, we’re not done adding phones to our buyer’s guide. Hot on the heels of inducting the new iPhones (and before that, the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10), we’re tossing in both of the new Google phones, the Pixel and Pixel XL. While we’re at it, we decided the PlayStation VR deserved a spot in our gaming section right alongside other premium virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. At the opposite end of the price spectrum, the $50 Amazon Echo Dot is a great value at that price. Lastly, GoPro — a staple company in this list — earns a spot for its newest flagship action camera, the Hero5 Black. Find all that in more in our buyer’s guide, and stay tuned for our next round of additions, likely sometime after CES.
Source: Engadget Buyer’s Guide
Nicki Minaj’s new game could make you a rap star
It’s hard to believe anyone that’s not a Kardashian, a Jenner or a Ramsay can successfully make a game about their careers, but Nicki Minaj’s new app actually sounds like fun. Collaborating with Glu Mobile, which also made the Kim Kardashian, Kylie and Kendall Jenner and Gordon Ramsay games, Minaj made The Empire, a game which focuses on rap music, and actually lets players create their own songs. In addition, you can record your own voice (rapping your own words) into the app, and Minaj herself (or her minions, anyway) will select the best few to showcase on her social media accounts. The Empire is now available on iOS and Android, and from my few days playing a beta preview, it seems like more than just another celebrity game.
Unlike other celebrity apps, such as the Kylie and Kendall Jenner game, that simply let you style your own character and interact with the predetermined storyline, The Empire also offers you an outlet for creativity. You get to create your own rap lyrics and record yourself singing your words over what Glu says are “studio-quality custom beats.”
Those who aren’t as confident or eloquent can choose, like I did, to use a template and fill out some keywords, Mad Libs style. The app offers some word options to fill in the blanks with, but you can also enter your own. I wouldn’t call the songs created with this method inspired, but at least they sort of rhyme. And they can turn out pretty wacky, which adds to the fun of the game. You can choose to go straight to rap mode to avoid the hassle of going through the game’s plot, or stick around for the drama in Story Mode.
The story part of the The Empire largely follows the style of others in the category: you’re a nobody, who, by some miraculous stroke of luck, befriends the titular celebrity. She takes you under her wing, helping you record your first single and giving you tips on how to promote it. The goal is to earn song sales and grow your number of fans. All the while, the game tries to inculcate values; in the Jenner game, it was the importance of friendship, while in The Empire, it’s the power of believing in yourself.
The game’s graphics have a very distinctive style that’s fiercely reminiscent of street art. Characters are boldly colored and wear hip, urban outfits, which is appropos for the Queens, New York neighborhood you start out in. As a New Yorker, I found that setting one of the most endearing things about Minaj’s game, compared to the LA backdrop of the Kylie and Kendall app. That’s obviously a matter of preference, though.
The thing I enjoyed the most during my time with The Empire is its soundtrack. I normally disable background music in my games, but because this app pipes in Minaj’s own tunes, such as Starships or Pound the Alarm, leaving the sound on was surprisingly enjoyable. Of course, that’s mostly because I already like Minaj’s music, but players of this game are likely going to be her fans anyway. The app also offers chatrooms for you to meet other Minaj fans in, who could eventually develop into an audience for the songs you create.
Whether anyone will actually become a breakout rap star because of Nicki Minaj: The Empire is not yet clear, but if Minaj keeps to her promise of showcasing the best rapper of the app each month, she may really find some talent among her fans. That potential exposure is solid motivation for aspiring rappers to start sharing their works in the app (although ownership of your tracks isn’t quite clear); it’s like American Idol on a smaller but easier-to-access stage. And if the thrill of potential stardom isn’t fun enough for you, then perhaps the sly anaconda jokes will have to do.
Sony is bringing ‘Parappa’, ‘Wild Arms’ and more to mobile
Hot on the heels of PlayStation Experience, Sony has announced the first smartphone games developed under its new “ForwardWorks” banner. The roster includes a new Everybody’s Golf title (known as Hot Shots Golf in the US), which is due to come out in spring 2017. The company is also working on a new Wild Arms game, an adaption of Arc the Lad and What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? Looking further ahead, ForwardWorks has confirmed it’ll be working on a new Parappa the Rapper game, as well as apps based on Doko Demo Issho and Boku no Natsuyasumi.
It’s a sizeable list, though one clearly geared towards the Japanese market. While some of its chosen franchises have a fanbase in the West — Parappa and Everybody’s Golf, for instance — most are considered niche or long abandoned. Reviving them as smartphone apps is an intriguing way to measure fan interest. If the games are free, and more importantly good, it could spur demand for new, higher budget console and portable titles. Sony is taking a similar approach on the PS4 right now, having confirmed HD remakes for Parappa the Rapper, Crash Bandicoot and Wipeout.
Sony has tried to make smartphone games before. PlayStation Mobile was an abject failure, however, producing few titles with lasting appeal. It shuttered the project in 2015 and shifted focus to the PlayStation 4, a wildly successful console, and the PlayStation Vita, a brilliant but unpopular handheld. With ForwardWorks, Sony will be hoping to re-assert itself in the mobile market. That’s easier said than done, given the cut-throat competition on iOS and Android. A broad line-up could work in Sony’s favor — effectively spreading its bets — while contrasting Nintendo’s smaller, more cautious portfolio of smartphone games.
Source: Sony (Blog Post)
Square Cash plugs its virtual card into Apple Pay
The Square Cash service added a “virtual debit card” feature back in September, and tonight during the Code Commerce event, CEO Jack Dorsey announced that it’s integrating with Apple Pay. The virtual Visa debit card lets Square Cash users spend their balance anywhere Visa is accepted (legitimately), and starting today, its iPhone app can enable the card for use on Apple Pay too. If you’re not using an iPhone or Apple Watch, Dorsey said that the company does have plans to support other platforms like Android Pay and Samsung Pay.
Source: Recode, iTunes
Nearly half of Flickr’s photo uploads come from smartphones
It’s no secret that Flickr is popular with phone-toting photographers, but it’s now reaching a tipping point. The Yahoo-owned image service has posted its year in review, and it notes that 48 percent of photo uploads now come from smartphones. That’s a big jump over the 39 percent from 2015 — it’s now clear that you’re in the minority if you uploaded shots from a dedicated camera. The numbers for conventional cams aren’t exactly pretty.
The DSLR crowd was the hardest hit, as its representation tumbled from 31 percent in 2015 to 21 percent this year. Point-and-shoot use was down, too, to 21 percent from 25. About the only dedicated camera category left untouched was mirrorless, although its 3 percent is nothing to crow about.
When it comes to whose devices are at the top, it’s a familiar story. Of all photos with camera data attached, 47 percent were uploaded from Apple hardware — 8 out of the top 10 devices were iPhones. Canon was a distant second at 24 percent, and it accounted for the two other devices in the top ranks (the EOS 5D Mark II and Mark III). Nikon was third at 18 percent, leaving everyone else to fight for just 11 percent of the pie.
Flickr doesn’t usually elaborate on these stats, although you can point to a few factors behind the mobile shift. For one, smartphone image quality is quickly reducing the pressure to use dedicated cameras. DSLRs and mirrorless cams still take better photos overall, but a well-made smartphone shooter is frequently good enough for pleasing street shots and flower macros. The convenience of posting from your phone (especially with improving cellular data speeds) is hard to top even when a camera has WiFi, too. As for Apple’s dominance of the charts? Some of it comes through the Flickr integration that iOS has had for years, but it’s also helped by the iPhone’s popularity in the US and reputation for good (though not always best) photo quality.
Source: Flickr Blog
Apple’s TV single sign-on feature goes live in the US
Apple just made your TV watching much easier… if you subscribe to the right services, that is. After dropping some hints in November, Apple has activated its promised single sign-on feature for Apple TV and iOS users in the US, but only for a handful of offerings. DirecTV, Dish and cord-cutter service Sling TV are the highlights among providers. Only some channel-specific apps can use SSO as well: A&E, Bravo, NBC, Syfy and USA are among the choices, and the option isn’t always available on both Apple TV and iOS gear.
How well the feature works will rely heavily on app creators. There are some glaring omissions in the selection right now (HBO, anyone?). The situation might improve sooner than you think, however. Single sign-on might see greater adoption now that you don’t need a beta operating system to try it, and there will be a stronger incentive to use it once Apple’s unifying TV app is available. If support is rough around the edges right now, it might be a very different story in the months ahead.
Via: MacRumors
Source: Apple
Google further shrinks the size of your Android app updates
If there’s a regular bane in Android phone owners’ existence, it’s the never-ending stream of app updates. Even though they’re smaller than full downloads, they still chew up a lot of data — just ask anyone who has sucked down hundreds of megabytes updating a new phone. Google’s engineers have a better solution, though.
They’re introducing a new approach to app updates that promises to radically shrink the size of updates with “file-by-file” patching. The resulting patches tend to be about 65 percent smaller than the app itself, and are sometimes over 90 percent smaller. In the right circumstances, that could make the difference between updating while you’re on cellular versus waiting until you find WiFi.
The technique revolves around spotting changes in the uncompressed files (that is, when they’re not squeezed into a typical app package). Google first decompresses the old and new app versions to determine the changes between files and create a patch. After that, updating is just a matter of unpacking the app on your device, applying changes and compressing it again.
Don’t expect to see this when you tap the “update” button, at least not yet. Google is currently limiting the new patching approach to automatic updates, since it needs extra processing power and might take additional time on older hardware. Your brand new Pixel XL should blaze through it, but someone’s aging Moto G might take longer. Performance will improve over time, however, so you might well see this expand to all updates once baseline performance is high enough.
Source: Android Developers Blog
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